Jim Johanson

Goodreads Author

Jim Johanson is a multi-genre author with backgrounds in biology and psychology. His works of fiction often follow strange, unusual, and dark themes, interwoven with concepts of Eastern philosophy.

Johanson strives to bring a deeper element to his writing beyond providing straightforward entertainment, wherein the reader might feel compelled to question the nature of their own reality, exemplified by his quote that "One should not be the same person when finishing a book that they were when they began reading it."

Popular Answered Questions

Jim JohansonHave enough projects to work on simultaneously that when you don't feel like working on one of them, or if you get stuck on one of them, you can work…moreHave enough projects to work on simultaneously that when you don't feel like working on one of them, or if you get stuck on one of them, you can work on a different one. It's like using procrastination to your advantage. Put off working on one thing to channel your energy into something else, then do the opposite and switch back to the original project. The same amount of work gets done, but you've tricked your brain into thinking that it won by getting to decide which action you took. (less)

Jim JohansonTo an extent, setting a daily writing goal can be helpful, but pushing yourself too strongly can be detrimental. When you have established writers…moreTo an extent, setting a daily writing goal can be helpful, but pushing yourself too strongly can be detrimental. When you have established writers telling you that you'll never be successful if you can't write 3,000 words a day, it's easy to get down on yourself. Fuck that.

Make a point to at least contribute something to your writing each day, whether that's writing a certain amount, editing, designing book covers, or just jotting down ideas. Some of the time you may find yourself opening up your text processor (or typewriter I guess, whatever) just to make a few notes and you'll end up writing two chapters.

There's an underappreciated line from Jaws (1975) where Chief Brody says "Why don't we start leading the shark into shore, instead of him leading us out to sea?"

They've been pursuing the shark further into its own territory, which puts them further away from the safety of land. The shark has three floating barrels attached to it by harpoons. Brody takes the barrels and ties them to the ship to...
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“Later in conversation he corrected himself: It was in fact 1.1 million pigs. The difference might seem like just a rounding error, he told me, but if you ever had to kill an “extra” hundred thousand pigs and dispose of their bodies in bulldozed pits, you’d remember the difference as significant.”
―
David Quammen,
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

“If your virtues hinder you from salvation, discard them, since they have become evil to you. The slave to virtue finds the way as little as the slave to vices.”
―
Carl Jung,
Liber Novus [The Red Book]

Review Group
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Reviews are very important for Self-Published (SP), and Indie authors, just as they are for others. Unfortunately, though, many SP/Indie books don't gReviews are very important for Self-Published (SP), and Indie authors, just as they are for others. Unfortunately, though, many SP/Indie books don't get the review attention they deserve. In this group, authors can gain honest reviews from other author members. All members are encouraged to participate fully in the review process, rather than concentrating only on obtaining reviews for their own work. We are all in the same situation....more

Literary Darkness
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This group is dedicated to an appreciation of important works of literature, both classic and contemporary... that happen to fall into the category ofThis group is dedicated to an appreciation of important works of literature, both classic and contemporary... that happen to fall into the category of Dark Fiction.
We tend to avoid the big, banal blockbusters (and the more lurid fare) in favor of beautifully written explorations of the unknown, many of them obscure, all of them extraordinary.
[Note from the Moderator: A couple of years ago, we changed our group name from "Literary Horror" in order to expand our sphere of interests (and dislodge a few embedded trolls). Our enthusiasms embrace Gothic, Weird Fiction, and Noir, as well as much that might be classified as Horror, but we also appreciate literary fiction that cannot be easily fitted into a marketing niche. In fact, this latter group of titles has evolved into our primary focus. Most serious fiction deals (to some extent) with darker themes, and many works of distinction have employed supernatural, surreal or existentialist elements. These books have power. They endure, because they appeal to serious readers and provide thoughtful entertainment. Come. Explore them with us.]...more

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